Getting international SEO right is hugely important for global brands. And one of the most fundamental optimizations is the domain and URL structure you choose to use.
While Google offers guidelines for using locale-specific URLs, SEO information on the topic is limited and sometimes confusing.
Many SEOs tend to advise using ccTLDs in each market if you have the resources. Others argue for subdirectories with a gTLD. Heaven help anyone who says subdomains are just as viable. Spoiler alert: our data suggests they might be.
So, we recently released our study on domain structures for international SEO to add some data to this conversation.
At the very least, we wanted to understand how popular different domain structures were. We also hoped our analysis might reveal some secrets about how Google’s algorithm responds to different domain structures internationally. Below are our key findings.
1. 56% of the top three positions are held by ccTLDsOur data reveals that ccTLDs are the most prevalent website structure in the top three ranking positions globally. This suggests those who favor ccTLDs are right to do so.
However, ccTLDs can be expensive and inefficient to manage, so take this into consideration and choose them only if you are confident they are the right solution for you.
2. The prevalence of ccTLDs and gTLDs in SERP positions are inversely correlatedgTLDs with no market subdomains or subdirectories are inversely correlated with ccTLDs as you go from position 1 to 100.
Perhaps this is just a coincidence, but it indicates that Google does not favor websites with no discernable geotargeting for that market.
3. Subdirectories are the second most prevalent website structure in the top three positionsSubdirectories appear in over 20% of Google’s top positions and account for around 20% of all SERP positions, reflecting that they are a popular choice.
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Business email address Subscribe Processing... 4. Subdomains account for just 3% of domain structures in SERPs but are only prevalent in top positions in multilingual marketsSwitzerland represented the only multilingual market in our study, and it’s the only country where subdomains are prevalent in the top three positions.
For French keywords in Swiss SERPs, subdomains outperformed subdirectories. For Italian keywords, the opposite was true.
5. Portugal is the only market where subdirectories are more common in the top three positions than ccTLDsPortugal bucked the global trend and was the only market where subdirectories more commonly ranked in the top three positions than ccTLDs.
Filipa Silva, a Portuguese SEO specialist, said:
Of all the countries analyzed, ccTLD websites dominate Czechia’s SERPs. Almost 90% of the top three positions were taken by .cz ccTLDs. Even combining .us and .com together in the U.S. results in fewer ccTLDs (83%) than in Czechia (84%).
Iryna Melnyk, a Czech SEO specialist, said:
German ccTLDs (.de) account for almost 20% of all top positions in Austria. By contrast, Austrian ccTLDs make up less than 1% of all domain structures in Germany. We only found three Austrian ccTLDs in the top three positions of German SERPs.
Tatjana Batjaev, a German SEO specialist, said:
Dig deeper: International SEO: How to avoid common translation and localization pitfalls
8. The popularity of .com means the U.S. is a statistical anomaly for gTLD useThe overwhelming popularity of the .com domain in the U.S. market means it is very rare to see the official .us ccTLD in use.
Melina Lyraki, an SEO specialist from the U.S., said:
This data supports those who think ccTLDs are the best for International SEO. If you choose that route, just remember that they require more resources to build, maintain and optimize than other options.
Evidence from the Swiss market suggests that subdomains can be just as effective as any other domain structure. Perhaps we shouldn’t always be so quick to discount the long-maligned subdomain.
That said, it’s clear that subdirectory structures are more commonly used and found in the top organic positions than subdomains. Whichever strategy you choose, remember that this is just your starting point for success.
Study methodology